Conquer

Chapter 13:

I stood in front of the Planks. Conquerors slowly made their way to the Planks, preparing for war.

Jed stood to my left, holding a pistol in his hand. Max stood to my right, holding crossbow in his arms. Will stood next to Jed, holding guard in front of little Faye. The rest of the Conquerors stood in front of us, waiting for our next move.

I could see the Conquerors that were going to stay in the distance, waiting for us to leave and never return. Katelyn stood in the trees, seeming afraid and unsure. I couldn't blame her, I felt the same way.

I could feel the fear and tension coiling through the air like a snake preparing for a strike. I noticed that a few Conquerors were shaking, some were holding hands, and others were standing with their eyes closed, praying for survival. Even I had been shaking. I hadn't been this afraid, not since my first minutes of being in Survival. I knew everyone was scared, I needed them to calm their nerves. I couldn't have anyone turning back now.

"Listen up everyone. I need to say a few things before we go.

First off, the distance is going to suck, but I need everyone to run as quickly as they can. No wading. This is only the beginning of our struggles...

Now look, I know you are all worried, scared, terrified even. It's okay, I'm worried, I'm scared as hell, and you can be sure that I'm terrifed. All I know is that it can not be as bad out there as it is here.

It's incredibly hard to see everyone struggling here, passing slightly on things from the outside. The Outsiders thought they could make us in here, now I need us to show the Outsiders what we are really made of. We are better than they think we are. And I'm sure they're scarier than we think they are," I raised my voice for one final battle cry, "LET'S LOOK EVIL IN THE EYE!"

Cheers and shouts erupted as we ran a never ending distance. I could hear the hard breaths coming out sharply from everyone as we ran. The sound of little Faye cheering us on as she rode on Will's back. The sounds of everyone's backpacks repeatedly hitting their backs, the stomping of feet on the hard concrete floor, and then it was the sound.

The Planks were closing. They turned at their normal speed, scraping and screaming as they did. Some of the Conquerors jumped at the sound, others covered their ears. I was used to the distance, however, not everyone was. The sounds of breaths screamed like the Planks.

We were just passed the sixth Planks, giving us plenty of time to reach the last block. There was plenty of running space around us. Sparks flew as we stopped in the last block. When we did, we rested.

We panted as we rested and drank water. Some of us gasped while others coughed. Max and I leaned over, gaining our breaths back. Will and Faye rested where a corner was formed. Jed stood a few feet in front of Max and I.

I turn around, watching the Conquerors that stayed in the distance. I watched them as the Planks closed, leaving us to be seperated.

I turned back to Tower 3, looking at the bold number painted in red on the wall. Will was right, there was a Split in the wall. The Split ran through the middle of the '3' that was painted. It was hard to tell by staring at it, but in a few moments, I had noticed that the Split was growing bigger. It was slowly becoming wide enough for a thin body to slip through.

"All right everyone, be prepared for anything," Jed said loudly. His words seemed synchronized with the following event.

The ground began rumbling, shaking everyone in the block. I looked up at Jed. Jed nodded, knowing what was to happen next.

The ground began to split as the Conquerors seperated around it. Half the Conquerors were on either side of the forming hole. They must be scared out of their minds.